Liquid anesthetics are often packaged in glass bottles and shipped to a location where they may be used to anesthetize a patient undergoing a medical or dental procedure. Such anesthetics may also be used to induce analgesia in a patient undergoing a medical or dental procedure. In order to administer the anesthetic, the contents of the glass bottle are placed in a vaporizer. The vaporizer can vaporize the anesthetic and provide the vaporized anesthetic in a desired amount to the patient.
Inhalable anesthetics are typically volatile substances with relatively low boiling points and high vapor pressure. Preferably, there is little or no release of anesthetic to the atmosphere during handing. The opening of a bottle containing vaporizer can be covered by a closing mechanism having an outlet port. To transfer the liquid anesthetic to a vaporizer, however, the outlet port must be opened. Since it is unwise to expose medical personnel performing a procedure to an anesthetic, and since anesthetics are expensive, devices have been developed to minimize the release of anesthetic from a bottle to the environment surrounding a vaporizer. These devices, however, have failed to conveniently and effectively minimize the release of anesthetic.